Relay



DCC- 23, 1958 H. J. wlRTH, JR 2,866,030

RELAY Filed Oct. 24, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/Gv.

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ATTORNEY Dec. 23, 1958 H. J. wlRTH, JR

RELAY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 24, 1955 WE/v70@ BY H. J. wmf/JRATTORNEY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 /NVVENTOR H. J. w/,Qmg JR.

ATTORNEY H. J. WIRTH, JR

RELAY llll QZ/m

U n U U .UVP KN `|l n D u U U Dec. 23, 1958 Filed oct. 24, 1955 n n n Dn un United States Patent RELAY Henry I. Wirth, Jr., Millington, N. J.,assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y.,a corporation of New York Application October 24, 1955, Serial No.542,244

9 Claims. (Cl. 20D-104) This invention relates to switching devices andmore particularly to electromagnetic switching devices for controlling amultiplicity of electrical circuits.

An object of the invention is to improve the efficiency, compactness andeconomy of manufacture of electromagnetic relays and to facilitate theirmaintenance.

Particularly, it is an object of the invention to increase thecapability of miniaturized relays which are employed in situationsrequiring high operating efficiencies. Yet another object is to providea small compact relay which may be freely orientated in any sense ordirection with respect to its supporting means without interfering withthe performance of its switching functions.

Still another object of the ivention is to provide a relay which may beutilized in a multiplicity of varied environments without adverse affectupon contacts, springs and the like.

A general feature of the invention is the combination in a relay of aunitary molded assembly comprising the principal non-moving parts of arelay, a simple contact spring assembly, an armature, contact operatingmeans, means for cooperatively arranging these elements to function as arelay, and enclosing means.

A particular feature of the invention is the provision in a singleunitary molded assembly of the principal nonmoving parts of a relay.

Another particular feature of the invention is utilization of ahermetically sealed enclosure for the principal parts of the relay.

Yet another particular feature of the invention is the arrangementwhereby a molded contact spring assembly, an armature, and an armaturecontrolled spring actuating member may be replaceably mounted on aunitary molded assembly encasing the principal non-moving parts of arelay so as to form a relay whose moving parts are readilyinterchangeable to vary the relays functions.

Other features may also be noted. Conventional electromagnetic relaysrequire, in the aggregate, substantial amounts of power for theiroperation. Ordinarily, if .small power consumption is of primeimportance in connection with such relays, the relay operate and releasetimes may need to be sacrificed or the relays switching capacity mayneed to be curtailed in order to obtain operation on minimal power. Inrelays embodying the instant invention, however, neither the operate orrelease time of the relay nor its switching capacity need be reduced,and yet substantially lower power requirements can be realized. Byconstructions embodying the instant invention, satisfactory operation,from a sensitivity standpoint, has been realized on less than one-halfwatt per operation. and release times less than l millisecond areexemplary of contact actuation times obtained by virtue of the instantinvention. With such a low power requirement per operation, substantialsavings of power are possible. The lower power requirement is even moreimpressive when it is noted that it occurs even with a large complementof 14 sets of transfers provided for switching circuits. The

Operate times less than 2 milliseconds i 2,866,030 Patented Dec. v23,19u58 instant invention not only enables the foregoing savings in powerconsumption without loss of contact actuation times or switchingcapacity, but it does so even when embodied in an over-all relaystructure less than half the size of conventional wire spring relays.

These and other objects and features of the invention may be more fullyunderstood when the following detailed description is read withreference to the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention withthe top part of the cover removed;

Fig. 2 is a left side view of the embodiment depicted in Fig. l and ispartially cut away to more clearly show the inter-relationships of thevarious parts; Y

Fig. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the preent inventionwith the top part of the cover removed;

Fig. 5 is a left side view of the embodiment depicted in Fig. 4 and ispartially cut away to more clearly show the inter-relationships of thevarious parts;

Fig. 6 is a front View taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a partial left side View taken along line 7 7 of Fig. 4 andsomewhat magnified to illustrate the disposition of the fixed andmovable contacts;

Fig. 8 is a rear view of the relay depicted in Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a perspective drawing of the second embodiment of Figs. 4through 8 illustrating the nature of the cover and depicting theapproximate size of the relay; and

Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the relay depicted in Figs. 4through 9 which shows more clearly the inter-relationships and assemblydetails of the second embodiment.

Looking in detail at Figs. 1 through 3, which disclose a firstembodiment of the instant invention, it can be seen that the basiccomponents of the relay include a motor assembly 10, an armature 3l), acontact spring assembly 40, a spring clip 57 and a cover 8. The armature30 is mounted upon the motor assembly 10 in its proper position, and thecontact spring assembly is fixedly retained in its proper position byspring clip 57 through the agency of inwardly extending tabs 58 whichengage cooperating indentations on the rearward (to the right in Fig. 2)part of the metal case 9. The cover 8 slides over the motor assembly 10and contact spring assembly 40 to form a tight seal against a rearwardflat surface made up of a portion of the contact spring assembly 40 andthe motor assembly 10.

The moto-r unit 10 is a unitary molded assembly which includes theprincipal non-moving parts of the relay. The external configuration ofthe motor assembly 16 is defined by the essentially rectangular,open-top, metal box 9. A cylindrical co-re 11, having an enlargedcylindrical pole face 19 fixedly attached to its upper surface, isconnected at its lower end tc a magnetic return path member 13. Thereturn path member 13 is constructed of a fiat magnetic material formedin the shape of a J, the legs 14 and 15 of which are disposed parallelto the lower surface of the case 9. The shorter leg 14 of the J, whichis, in effect, a rearwardly extending ange cn the upper face of themotor assembly 10, acts as the transverse bearing surface for the hingeline 31 o-f the armature 30. The lower surface of a cylindrical coil 12,which surrounds core 11, also rests on the inner flat surface of thelonger leg 15 of the J-shaped return member 13. With such anarrangement, the bridging of the pole face 19 and the return path member13 by the armature 30 completes the magnetic circuit of the relay.

The magnetic circuit components, excluding the armature 30, are mountedwithin the rectangular box 9 and are molded therein with any suitableplastic resin, for example, one of the epoxy resin compounds.

, When the motor unit 1G is encapsulated in the resin, apertures (16, 17and 18) are provided at proper locations to allow the armature 3fl to behinged external to .the motor assembly and also to receive a front fixedsupport 60, the function of which will be hereinafter described.Apertures 16 and 17 are provided -to secure the lower portion ofS-shaped dat spring Ztl, whose upper portion retains armature 30 in itsproper position with respect to the previously described motor unit 10.The aperture 16 is` essentially rectangular in cross section and extendsvertically downward into the molded assembly unit Within the aperture16, but forward of it and below the upper surface of the motor unit 16,is a small rectangular aperture 17 which accommodates a hooked portionon the lowermost end of the armature retaining spring 2t) to hold thespring inV its proper position with respect to the encapsulated motorunit 1li. Aperturas 1S located on both sides of. the moto-r unit 1li andextending vertically into the' unit from the upper surface thereofreceive the fixed spring support 60.

Coil lead-out terminals 21 extend from the rear of the motor unit 10 andform a part thereof. Hence, to form the motor unit or motor assembly1t), the core 11, the pole face 19, the coil 12, the lead-out terminals21, and the return member 13 are all properly positioned in theconfining structure 9 and' suitable molding cores are pro vided to formapertures 16, 17, and 18. With these parts properly positioned7 aunitary structure is formed by the usev of any suitable moldingcompound.

The wire spring assembly 46 comprises a plurality of molded blocks 41,42 and 43. Molded within the block 42 is a plurality of movable wiresprings 44, whereas, adjacent blocks 41 and 43, on respective sides oftheblock 42, have molded therein a plurality of fixed springs 45 and 46,respectively. This arrangement provides three layers of wire springs,each of unitary construction.` The rearward portions of the springs 44,45, and 46 extend beyond their respective molded supports to providelead-out terminals 47, 4S, and 49, respectively. The upper and lower'layers of fixed springs 45 and 46 extend forwardly in ap- 1 proximateparallelism to the sides of metal case 9 (when in position supportingmotor unit 1li) and to the movable springs 44, and have downwardly andupwardly extending offset portions 50 and 51, respectively, at theirforwardmost ends. Precious metal contacts 52 and 53 are afiixed to thelower and upper surfaces of the forwardmost ends of the upper and lowerlayers of. the fixed springs 45 and 46, respectively. These contactscooperate with precious metal contacts 54 which are affixed to both theupper and lower surfaces of the tip ends of the movable springs 44. Asmay best be seen in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, la. single upperspring 45 (with its contact 52) and a single lower spring 46 (with itscontact 53) are provided for each contact element 54 of each movablespring 44.

The molded blocks 41, 42 and 43 have cooperating indentations andprojections (not shown) inv order that they. may be properly. stacked inoperative, relationship to one another. In turn, the lowermost moldedassembly 43 and motor unit 10 have cooperating projections andindentations (not shown) so that they may be positively positionedquickly and easily with respect to each other. As was, pointed outsupra, U-shaped spring 57, which has inwardly 4extending lipsv 53 onboth legs which lips engage recesses o-n the metal case 9, holds thewire spring assembly 4t) in its proper position with respect to themotor unit 10.

The fixed spring front support 66 comprises a fiat U-shaped metallicmember 6l and a guide bracket 62. The ends of the U-shaped member 61 fitinto apertures 18 in the motor unit 1th or, in the alternative, the endsof the member 61 may be molded in the motor Vunit 16 to allow the fixedspring support 66 to be an integral part ofV the motor unit 1f?. Thebracket 62 is a U-shaped channel offinsulating material supportedbetween the legs of the member 61 by projections 63 which engage! ap-y dpropriate aperturesy in the legs of iti-shaped member 61. The legs ofU-shaped bracket 62 lie in planes substantially parallel to the uppersurface of the motor unit 1.0 and the bight of the U extends in aforwardly direction (towards the left of Fig. 2). A plurality ofvertically disposed grooves 64, equal to the number of contact eledments utilized, are provided in the forwardmost portion (bight of the U)of the channel bracket 62. The grooves 64 are suficiently deep toprovide a rectangularly shaped aperture 65 in the bight of the U throughwhich the individual movable springs 44 extend. These, grooves 64 act asvertical guides for the fixed springs and 46 by virtue of the downwardlyand upwardly extending for' wardmost portions of the springs Sti and 51.The' mesh-A ing of the fixed springs 45 and 46 with the proper ones ofthe grooves 64 prevents the fixed springs 45 and 46 and their associatedcontact elements 52 and 53 from being displaced in a transversedirection.

The uppermost layer of springs 45 is' bent so asv to be pretensioned inal downward direction, and, in a similar manner, the lowermost layer ofsprings 46 is bent so as to be pretensioned in any upward direction.Under this arrangement, the uppermost layer of springs 45 continuouslyexerts a downward pressure on the upper surface 66 of U-shaped bracket62 associated with the fixed spring support 60, and contrariwise, thelowermost layer of springs 46 continuously exerts an upward pressure onthe lowermost surface 67 ofthe bracketl 62.

The armature 30 is of a rocker-type construction (see Figs. l and 2)pivotally mounted along the liney 31 by means of the spring Ztl. Thepivot line 31 of the armature 30 is transverse to the sense of the wiresprings (44, 45, and 46) and, as previously pointed' out, lies along theshorter leg 14 of the J-shaped return path member 13. The semicircularupper end of the armatureA retaining spring 2t) defines a fulcrum andsupports the armature 30 in its proper position with respect to themotor unit10'. The portion 32 of the armature 30 tothe rear of thefulcrum is formed in the shape of a triangle pivotedral'ong' its baseand with its apex rounded on` an even" radius. The rearmost portion 32bridges the pole face 19` to the return member 13 when` the coil isenergized. rEhe forward part 33 of the armature 30 lies in a plane whichintersects the plane of the rearward portion 32 at an obtuse angle. Theforward part33 comprises two for wardly` extending L-shaped angle arms34 which are se cured at right angles to the fulcrum line 31. Two essentially cylindrical parallel guide bars 35 constructed ofYaninsulating material are disposed between. the foria wardmost ends ofthe L-shaped angle arms 34 in planes parallel to the pivot line 31,. Thebars 35' are secured to arms 34v by means of laterally' extendingprojections 36 housed in suitable apertures inV the: ends. ofi the alms34. The. movable springs. 44 are positioned. intermediate these twoguide bars 3S in aplurality of` sectio'nslSfl'- of decreased radiuswhich areA disposed along each:A guide bar 35 to prevent lateral ortransverse` displacement' of the movable wire springs 44. To' facilitatethis,- each` of-the guide bars. 35, though essentially cylindrical, hasaflat surface along one side (Fig. 2) which flat surfaces engage eachother. Thus', the middle layer of wire" springs 44 cannot ymove in atransversendirection, their movement being restricted to vertical planeswhenever the' relay is operated or released.

The configuration of the armature 30 coupled withits mountingarrangement with' respect to the motorl unitltl and to the movablesprings 44 makes it apparent that, upon the cnergization of the coil12,l the springs 44 are moved in an upward direction by the forward part33 of the armature 30 asl a result of the rearward-portion 32 moving ina downward direction to bridge the return path member 13 to'thepole'face19.

It will be noted in theiirst embodiment ofthe instant invention,depicted in Figs.' luto 3; that there arefourteen groups ofl contactelements, ea'chv group' consisting of single over and under fixedcontact elements and an interposed movable contact element. By referringto the previous description, it will bc apaprent that in the normalunoperated position of the relay the contact elements 52 associated withfixed springs 45 are normally separated from the upper contact elements54 associated with movable springs 44 with which they cooperate. Uponthe operation of the relay however, the movable springs 44 are displacedin an upward direction by virtue of parallel bars 35 moving the uppermovable contact elements 54 associated therewith into contact with thecontact elements 52 associated with fixed spring layer 45; i. e., theupper movable Contact elements 54 and the fixed contact elements 52 formso-called make combinations. It can be appreciated that if the uppersurface 66 of bracket 62, against which the uppermost layer of springs45 is pretensioned downwardly, is straight and parallel with respect toa line through the contact elements 54 of the movable springs 44, thenall of the contact elements 52 associated with fixed springs 45 will becontacted by their cooperating movable upper contact elements 54 at thesame approximate time.

In some cases, however, it may be desirable that certain ones of themake combinations close at different points with respect to armaturetravel when the relay is operated. For example, if a slight depressionsuch as that indicated at 66A (Fig. 3) is formed on the upper surface 66of bracket 62, the fixed spring 45A would obviously allow its associatedcontact element 52A to be contacted by movable upper contact element 54Aat an earlier point in the path of the upward movement of movable wiresprings 44 than would be the case if there were no depression.Cooperating Contact elements such as these may be labeled early make contacts. lf an even deeper depression were made in the upper surface 66 ofthe bracket 62, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 3 as 66B, the fixedspring 45B due to its pretensioning would hold Contact 52B even closerto its correspon-ding movable upper contact element 54B and, as aconsequence, the contacts would close at an even earlier point in thecourse of upward movement springs 44. These types of springs areordinarily labeled preliminary make contacts. It is apparent that manyother such gradations of early to preliminary make arrangements may beobtained by varying the depth of depression on the upper surface 66 ofthe bracket 62.

It will also be perceived by observing the operation of the relay thatthe lower layer of fixed springs 46 cooperate with the movable springs44 through their cooperating contact elements 53 and 54, respectively,to form a plurality of break contacts. Ordinarily when the relay is in areleased condition, the contact ele- -ments 53 associated with the fixedsprings 46 are in contact with the lowermost Contact elements 54associated with movable springs 44. Provided that the lower surface 67of bracket 62 lies in a simple plane which is approximately parallel toa line through the contact elements 54, associated with movable springs44, it is apparent that the operation of the relay will separate thelower movable spring contact elements 54 from their corresponding fixedspring contact elements 53 at about the same point in'the operation ofthe armature. Here again, a gradation of depressions can be selectivelyformed upon the lower surface 67 of bracket 62 in order to provide aplurality of early break and preliminarybreak combinations. Othercombinations are possible, but ordinarily no more than three suchgradations appear necessary to handle most combinational requirementsfor modern switching relays.

These diverse combinations of early make, preliminary make and normalmake with other combinations of early break, preliminary break andnormal brea may be obtained primarily by coding the upper and lowersurfaces, 66 and 67, respectively, of the U-shaped bracket 62. Hence,one of the advantages of this type of construction is that the bracket62 may be coded for various design requirements and may be substitutedat will to obtain a different coded combination when desired withoutgreatly effecting any of the other components of the relay. In additionto the diverse combinations possible within the limits stated above,further complex combinations can be obtained by strapping if need be.Under such circumstances complex make-before-break-beforemakecombinations as well as many others can easily be perceived.

Another embodiment of the instant invention isdepicted in Figs. 4through l0. In many ways this second embodiment is quite similar to thatpreviously described and depicted in Figs. l through 3. Hence, indescribing the second embodiment, less detail will be needed exceptwhere the two embodiments differ.

Looking in detail at Figs. 4 through 10, it can be seen that the basiccomponents of the relay, as in the case of the first embodiment,comprise essentially a motor assembly 70, an armature 80, a contactspring assembly comprising molded blocks 101 and 122 retaining movablesprings 100 and 123`and a single layer of fixed springs 103` retained ina molded block 104, a spring clip 107 and a cover 120. Similar to thefirst embodiment of Pigs. 1, 2 and 3, the armature 80 is mounted uponthe motor assembly 70 in its proper position and the three layers ofwire springs comprising the Contact spring assembly are retained intheir proper position with respect to the motor assembly 70 and to thearmature 80 by a spring clip 107. The inwardly extending tabs 108 onspring clip 107 engage cooperating indentations (see Fig. l0) moldedinto the motor assembly 70.

Before describing these subassemblies in detail, it might be well tonote that the principal functional difference between the second andfirst embodiments lies primarily in the way in which the armature movesthe wire spring. In the first embodiment, a layer of movable springs isprovided intermediate two layers of fixed springs and is moved directlyby one end of the armature as the other end of the armature completedthe magnetic circuit between the core and the return leg. In the secondembodiment, the armature moves a movable card 115, which in turndislaces overlying or underlying movable springs with respect to anintermediate fixed spring layer. In this respect, the second embodimentutilizes a type of lcontact spring actuation quite similar to thatdisclosed in Patent 2,682,584 issued June 29, 1954, to H. M. Knapp, andPatent 2,682,585 issued June 29, 1954, to H. M. Knapp et al.

Looking in detail at the motor unit assembly 70, it can .be seen that itincludes the principal non-moving parts of the relay, as are shown inthe motor unit assembly 10 of the first embodiment; but, the motor unitassembly 70 also includes fixed contact terminals 77 which are molded asan integral part thereof. The motor assembly 70 is defined by anessentially rectangular shape of an appropriately configurated mold anddoes not use a metal box to contain the various motor unit assemblyparts prior to their molding. A cylindrical core 73, whose upper end(Fig. 5) has attached thereto an integral pole face 78 and whose otherend contacts the longer leg of a at J-shaped return path member 71, isdisposed in a perpendicular relationship to the upper surface of themotor unit 70, as was the case with the similar magnetic parts in thefirst embodiment. Integral with the shorter leg of the J-shaped returnmember 71, which lies along the upper surface of the motor unit assembly70, is a U-shaped member 74 (Fig. 6). The upward two ends of member 74extend above the surface of the motor unit assembly 70 and haveapertures 79 (Fig. l0) therein in a direction transverse to thelongitudinal axis of the relay springs in order to pivotally hold thearmature 80 by a pin 81.

The rocker-type armature 80 is pivotally mounted along an axis definedby pin 81 engaging apertures 85 in the armature 80 and apertures 79 inthe U-shaped.

vsupport member 74. When so mounted transversely to Athese'nse of`thewi1j`e springs 100, 123 and 103, the middle portionof the armaturebearsagainst the upper edge of the.l shorter leg of the J-shaped returnmember 71. In ainanner sirnilar to the case of the rst embodiment, 'whenthe,coil72 is energized, the armature 80 bridges the return path member71 and the core face pole 70 to cornplete af magnetic circuit.

Prior to the molding 'of the motor assembly unit 70 as a unitarystructure, the core 73, pole face 78, coil 72 and J-shaped return member71 are properly positioned as depictedA particularly in Fig. 5. TheU-shaped member 74, whose two ends are to provide a pivotal mounting forthel armature 80, is likewise properly positioned integral with 'theshorter leg of the J-shaped return member 71 Another U-shaped member 75(Fig. 6) `is mounted .transverse to the sense of the wire springs at theforward partk of the mold and has two forwardly extending rightangleprojections thereon (see Fig. or 7). The purpose of thisfU-shaped member75 is to support a xed card 110 whose use and purpose will be describedhereinafter.

Also properly mounted with respect to the magnetic circuit members, aswell as with respect to the position to be occupied by the wire springassembly upon completion of the relay, is a plurality of fixed contactterminals '77, one properly positioned for every wire spring, both fixedand movable. These are disposed at the rear of the motor assembly andare held in proper place prior to molding. Also extending from the motorassembly unit are the terminals 69, tol allow connection to the coil 72,and threaded members 76, which act as supports for the relay upon finalassembly and installation. The shape of the mold used to form a unitarystructure 'out of the motor unit assembly 70, particularly as seen inFig. 10, properly provides for the indentations which are to be engagedby the inwardly extending tabs 108 of the spring clip 107 and providesfor extruded projections 113 which are to properly positionthepluralities of molded blocks which contain the wire springs. Once allthese various parts are properly positioned with respect to each otherand to the final disposition of the wire spring assemblies, the unit isconverted into a solid structure by the use of any suitable plasticresin.

The wire spring assembly comprises a plurality of lContact springs 100,123 and 103 retained in molded blocks 101, 122 and 104, respectively.Molded within the block 104 are a plurality of fixed wire springs 103;whereas, blocks 101 and 122 disposed on either side of ixed spring block104 have molded therein a plurality of movable springs designated 100and 123. Molded block fli 104 has a forwardly extending projection 104erwhich has a ,dual purpose.l First, it is vertically apertured to receivebackstop screw 140 which bears against the upper Vsurface of rearwardportion 02 of armature 80. BackstopA screw 140 is adjustable to controlthe working air ygap between the forward part S3 of armature S0 and polepiece 7.3.` Second, thel presence of forwardly projecting ,member 104gprovides convenient means for supporting well known` types of dampers(not shown) to reduce vibrations of movable springs 100 and 123 duringthe relays operation, if needed.

The arrangement of molded blocks 101, 122 and 104 Vin stacked relationprovides three layers of wire springs,

each of unitary construction and whose rearward por tions (Fig. 5)extend beyond the molded supports and, a

when properly positioned with respect to the motor unit assembly 70,bear Vagainst the previously disposed Contact terminals 77 to providecontinuity from some terminals through the appropriate wire springs andtheir cooperating contacts back to other terminals. As in the case ofthe rst embodiment, the wire springs 100, 1.23 and 103 extend in aparallel sense with respect to the upper ,surface of the motor unitassembly 70 when in proper position with respect thereto. Theforwardmost end of 'the movable springs 100 and 123 have aixed to theirproper sides contacts 1:02` and 124Y which cooperate with appropriateupper and lower Acontact,su rfacesof fixed-cone' tacts 105 which areattached, to the forwardmost end of fixed springsl 1,03. Similar to the.case of lthe first embodiment, a single upperspring 100, with itsassociated contact 102,*cooperates with the upperl surface of preciousmetal contact element 105, while a single lower spring designated 123,through the agency of its precious metal contact 124, cooperates withthe lowermost surface of the precious metal Contact 105. It can best beseen in Fig. l0 that the three molded blocks 101, 122 and 104 have anumber of cooperating indentations 114 and projections 113 disposed withrespect to one another suchL that they form an integral unit whenmounted in their proper positions with respect to themotor unit assembly70. It also can be seen that the uppermost molded bloclc 101 has achannelformed in a transverse direction on its uppermost surface tofixedly retain spring clip 107 in its proper position when the relay isassembled.

In addition to the rear molded support 104 for fixed springs 103, thereis provided a front fixed support 110 which molds the plurality, offixed springs 103 alo-ng a simple plane which,`when in proper position,is essentially parallel to the upper surface of the motor unit assembly'70. rI his essentially rectangularly-shaped fixed spring support 110has moldedv thereon U-shaped projections 111 and. 125 on its outwardends. The vertical heights between these U-shaped legs is such as to beengageable by the forwardly extending projections on member which werepreviously described. Hence, when the spring assembly is in its properposition the ends of the U-shaped member 75, whose ends extend in avertical planel out 'of the surface of the motor unit assembly 70,engage the bights of the U-shaped members 111 and 125 on the outwardends of the fixed spring support 110 to properly position the fixedsprings 103 with respect tothe motor unit assembly 70. A plurality ofgrooves 112 are excised in longitudinal directions to the sense of thewire springs along the upper and lower surfaces of the transverselydisposed fixed spring support 110. The'grooves are so disposed` tocontain the movable springs and 123 in a lateral direction so thatduring operation no substantial displacement is possible transverse tothe longitudinal axis of the motor unit assembly 70. This assures thatthe contacts associated with the movable springs will properly engagetheir cooperating fixed contacts during operation.

In the uppermost layer of springs 100, each one is bent so as to bepretensioned in a downwardly direction and, therefore, to bear in apositive manner against the innermost portions of the correspondinggroove 112 disposed alo-ng the upper edge of the xed molded springsupport 110. In a similar manner, each lowermost spring.

123 is bent so as to be pretensioned in an upward direc-` tion. Withthis type of arrangement, the uppermost layer of springs 100continuously exerts a downward pressure on the upper surface of thefront molded support bracket whereas the lowermost layer of springs 123con# tinuously exerts an upward pressure on the lowermost surface of thefront molded support 110.

The armature 80, similar to the armature of the rst embodiment, is of arocker-type construction (Fig. 10) and is pivotally mounted along theline of the pin 81 by the cooperation of this pin 81 with the upstandingsupports identified Vgenerally as 74. The pivotline of the armature 30is transverse to the sense of the wire springs (100, 123 and 103) and,as previously pointed out, lies along the upper surface of the shorterleg of the J-shaped return path member 71. The rear portion 12 of thearmature 30 is quite similar to the shape of its counterpart in thefirst embodiment, i. e., a triangle pivoted along its base with its apexrounded on an even radius. This rearmost portion 32 bridges the poleface 78 and the J-shaped return member 71 to completev the magneticcircuit whenever the coil 72 is energized. The

principal portion of theV forward part 83 of the armature 80 lies in aplane which intersects the plane of the rearward portion 82 at an obtuseangle (similarly to the rst embodiment). The forward portion 83 of thearmature 80 comprises two forwardly extending angle-shaped membersconnected at their forwardmost ends by a transverse plane member whoseforwardmost outer ends form. projections 86, the function of which willbe explained hereinafter. The forward portion of the armature 80 may bedescribed as an essentially plane rectangular shaped member with arectangular cut-out which is reinforced alo-ng its longitudinallyextending sides by angle brackets.

A movable card 115 is provided for translating the motion of thearmature to the movable springs and thereby properly opening and closingthe contacts thereof when the relay is operated. The movable card 115has an essentially rectangular shape with a pair of rectangularapertures cut therein. It is supported in a transverse directionadjacent the forward end of the motor unit assembly 70 by a pair ofdownwardly biased spring members 116 and 126 which are molded in theupper molded block 101. The forwardmost ends of these downwardly biasedheavy springs 116 and 126 engage apertures 117 and 127, respectively, inthe outerupper ends of movyable card 115 and thereby keep a constantdownward pressure upon movable card 115 when it is in its properposition with respect to the other components of the relay. Theforwardmost ends of fixed springs 103, and their fixed contacts S,project through the rectangular apertures in the card 115; whereas, theupper layer of movable springs 100 bear against the upper surface 118 ofthe movable card 115 and the lower movable springs 123 bear against thelower surface 119. When properly positioned the movable card 115 is heldin its transverse position at the forwardmost portion of the motor unit70 and armature 80, by projections 128 on its lower surfaces, whichsurfaces cooperate with projections 86 on the forwardmost outer ends ofarmature 80.

With the upper and lower portions 118 and 119 of the movable card 11S sodisposed and with the heavy downwardly biased springs 116 and 126properly engaging the cooperating apertures 117 and 127, movement of thearmature 80 allows the movable card 115 to displace the upper or lowerlayers of movable springs 100 or 123 by virtue of the surfaces 118 and119 along its upper or lower portions 118 and 119 whenever the armatureis operated. The upper layer of movable springs 100 cooperate with fixedsprings 103 and are considered break contacts and the lower layer ofmovable springs 123 are make contacts.

Similarly to the first embodiment, it can-be seen that when the coil 72is energized, the rearmost portion 82 of the armature bridges theJ-shaped return path member 71 to the core pole face 78, therebycompleting the magnetic circuit. The displacement of the rearmostportion of armature 80 in a downward direction pushes the for- Wardmostportion 83 in an upward direction, thereby displacing the movable card115 upwardly. The displacement of the movable card in an upwarddirection separates the contacts 102 associated with the upper layer ofmovable springs 100 from their associated fixed contacts 105 and allowsthe lower layer of movable springs 123 to move in an upward direction toenable the contacts 124 to engage the contacts 105 on the fixed springs103.

Just as in the first embodiment, it will be noted that there arefourteen groups of contact elements. Each group in this secondembodiment, however, consists of a single centrally disposed xed contactelement and an over and under movable contact element. Also, as in thecase of the first embodiment, if the upper and lower lsurfaces 118 and119, respectively, of movable card 115 lie in simple planes which areparallel to the surfaces of the fixed contact 105, then all of the makecontacts (pairs 102-105) will come together at the same point 10 in timeinsofar as the operation of the armature 80 is concerned and all of thebreak contacts (pairs 123- 105) will separate at the same point in thetravel of armature 80.

The surfaces 118 and 119 can, however, be changed and so constructed asto give diverse combinations of make and break combinations. Just as waspreviously explained in connection with the first embodiment, if one ofthe particular contacts bearing against upper surface 118 is allowed tolie in an indentation along that surface, it will make contact with itsassociate fixed contact earlier in point of time as will be the casewith the others. Hence, to get an early make, a small depression can beappropriately formed in the upper surface 118. If an even earlier makecontact is desired, an even deeper depression may be so formed. In asimilar manner, if a small depression is formed in the lower surface 119of movable card 115, the particular movable contact associated therewithwill separate from its appropriate fixed contact at a later point intime, hence forming a late break. Appropriate differences in theseindentations can give a plurality of various combinations just as waspreviously described with the rst embodiment. This allows a single relaystructure to be utilized wherein a diverse number of coded combinationsmay be obtained merely by changing the configuration of the movable card11S.

' It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are butillustrative of the principles of the invention. Numerous otherarrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic relay comprising a unitary stationary structureincluding a magnetic core having pole pieces, an energizing winding forsaid core, and a rigid insulating body in which said core and windingare embedded; a contact spring assembly including a plurality ofcooperating contact springs; insulating members for mounting said springassembly and means for securing said members to said body; an armature;means for supporting said armature on said body in juxtaposition to saidpole pieces; an operating card movable by said arma ture for selectivelycontrolling certain ones of said cooperating contact springs; and meansfor energizing said coil to cause said armature to bridge said polepieces and to move said operating card to control selected ones of saidcontact springs.

2. An electromagnetic relay comprising a unitary stationary structureincluding a magnetic core having pole pieces, an energizing windinglinked magnetically to said core, an armature support bracket, and arigid insulating body in which said core and armature support bracketand winding are embedded; a contact spring assembly including aplurality of cooperating contact springs; insulating members formounting said spring assembly and means for securing said members tosaid body; an armature mounted upon said armature support bracket andoperable upon the energization of said coil to'bridge said pole pieces;an operating card disposed adjacent said armature, said card havingsurfaces engageable by selected ones of said contact springs; means tourge said operating card against said armature; and, means forenergizing said coil whereby said armature causes said operating card tocontrol selected ones of said wire springs.

3. An electromagnetierelay comprising a unitary stationary structurehaving forward and rearward ends and including a magnetic core havingpole pieces, an energizing winding linked magnetically to said core, anarmature support bracket, a molded support bracket, and a rigidinsulating body in which said core and pole pieces and armature supportbracket and molded support bracket and winding are embedded; acontactspring assembly including an insulating framesupported on said moldedgaseoso support bracket and including a plurality of cooperating:contact springs; a rocker-type armature pivotally mounted. upon saidarmature support bracket and including a rst. portion movable to bridgesaid pole pieces when said coil is energized and including a secondportion having a. forward end adjacent the forward end of said unitaryYstructure; an operating card disposed adjacent the for-- Ward end ofsaid armature, said card having separate surfaces selectively engagingseparate ones of said con-- tact springs; means for urging said cardagainst said armature; and, means for energizing said coil to cause:said armature to bridge said pole pieces and thereby to move said cardto control selected ones of said co operating wire springs.

' 4. Anelectromagnetic relay comprising a unitary stationary structurehaving forward and rearward ends and. including a magnetic core havingpole pieces, an energiz-A ing winding linked magnetically to said core,an armaturesupport bracket adjacent one of said pole pieces, a lixedspring support bracket, and a rigid insulating body in; which said coreand pole pieces and winding and Ysupport; brackets are embedded; a`contact spring assembly includ-A ing three insulating members, saidmembers having co-v operating projections and indentation's whereby theymay' be properly positioned in stacked relation to each other and tosaid unitary molded structure; a spring clip to hold said insulatingmembers in stacked relation; a molded sup port engageable by said fixedspring support bracket toposition said molded support with respect tosaid unitary structure; a plurality of fixed wire springs molded in onelof said insulating members and in said molded support; pluralities ofmovable wire springs molded in individual ones of said other insulatingmembers and extending forwardly inspaced proximity to said firstplurality of wire springs and on opposite sides thereof; a rocker-typearmature pivotally mounted upon said armature support bracket andincluding a first portion movable to bridge said pole pieces when saidcoil is energized and including a second portion having a forward endadjacent the forward end of said unitary structure; an operating carddisposed adjacent the forward end of said armature, said card having afirst surface engageable by certain ones of said springs of said contactspring assembly and having a second surface engageable by certain Aotherones of said springs of said wire spring assembly; means for urging saidoperating card against the forward end'of `said armature; means forenergizing vsaid coil to cause said armature 'to bridge said pole piecesand thereby to move said yoperating card to control selected ones ofsaid movable springs; and, a

sealed enclo-sure for said armature and said contact spring assembly,which enclosure abuts said unitary molded structure'.

5. An electromagnetic relay comprising a unitary `stationary structureincluding a magnetic core having po-le pieces, an energizing windinglinked magnetically to said core, an upstanding portion containing aplurality of fixed terminals, and a rigid insulating body in which saidcore and pole pieces'and Winding and fixed terminals are embedded; anarmature mounted on said body in such relationship vto said pole piecesas to be actuated magnetically when said Winding is energized; a contactspring assembly including an insulating iframe supporting a plurality ofcooperating contact springs, said contact springs adapted to engage saidlixed 1terminals to provide lead-outs for electricaly circuits;a'springractuating card movable by said armature and engaging certainmovable ones of said springs; clamping means for holding said wirespringassembly to said body; and, enclosure means for said armature and saidContact spring assembly, which enclosure abuts `said upstanding portionof said unitary stationary structure.

'6. An electromagnetic relay comprising a unitary stationary structureincluding a magnetic core having pole pieces', an energizing windinglinked magnetically Ato said `-core, an armature support bracket. 'a'molded support 12 bracket, and a rigid insulating body in which vsaidcore `and polel pieces and said armature supportbracket and said moldedsupport' bracket and said Winding are embedded; an armature pivotallymounted on said support bracket in such relationship to said pole piecesas to be actuated magnetically when said winding'is energized;

a contact spring assembly comprising a plurality of insllilating springsupport members and an insulating frame vsupporting a plurality ofcontact springs, a spring actuat- .ing card movable by said armature andengaging certain movable ones of said springs; clamping means forholding said assembly to said body so that said armature when actuatedmoves said card; and, means for enclosing l,the armature and contactspring assembly, which enclosing means abuts against said pluralityv ofinsulating .members to form an air-tight seal.`

. T7. An electromagnetic relay comprising a unitary staltionarystructure having forward and rearward ends and longitudinal axis andincluding a magnetic core having a pole portion which lies'in a firstplane, 'afmagnetic return member attached to said core, a coilmagnetically linked to said core, an armature support bracket disposedadjacent said return member, a lfixed spring support bracket disposedadjacent the forward end of said unitary structure, a plurality `ofxedterminals positioned rearwardly of said magnetic members, means forexternally supporting said unitary structure, exposed ter- :minalsconnected at one end to the leads of said coil, and a rigid insulatingbody in which the components 'of said unitary structure are embedded; aContact! spring 'assembly including an insulating" frame SUPOr'tng aYplurality 'of cooperating' contact springs; a' rocker-type 1 armaturepivotally mounted upon said armature support bracket and includinga'firstl portion movable to bridge :said pole piece to said returnmember `when said coil is energized and inclu-ding a second portionlhavinga forward end 'adjacent the forward end of said unitarystructure, said forward end lying in a plane parallelV to'said rst planeand transverse to said 'longitudinal axispa Vmovable operating carddisposed adjacent the forward end of said armature and having first'andsecond sur rfaces which engage different selected ones ofsaid wires `ofsaid wire spring assembly; means to urge said operat- ,mg card againstthe forward end of said armature;means :for energizing said coil tocause said armature to bridge :said return member and Vsaid pole pieceand ythereby tomove said operating card to control selected ones of,said cooperating wire springs; and, a sealed enclosure for saidarmature and said contact spring assembly which y `enclosure abuts thatportion of the said unitary'lmolded structure which surrounds saidfxedterminals.

8. An electromagnetic `relay comprising operating means including acore, pole pieces, an energizing lwinding, and an armature; said core,pole pieces, Vand winding embedded in a rigid body of insulatingmaterial andsaid armature hinged to said body, vranks of fixed and ino-vable contact springs, each rank anchored adjacentfthe' inner ends ofits springs inan insulating bloclgthe blocks Ysuperposed on said body,means for securing the 'blocks and the bod;y together, a yfixed contactspring support secured to said body, and a movable contact springoperator secured to said armature, whereby the spatial relations of therelay parts are determined by their attachment tof'isaid body. I"

9. electromagnetic relay comprising voperating means including a core,pole pieces, aneiiergizing ing, and an armature; said core, pole pieces,and winding embedded in'a rigid body of insulating'material andisaidarmature hinged to said body adjacent a pole piece, ranks of contactsprings, said springs having 4co'ntactsfat their outer ends, eachrankanchored yadjacent/theinrier lends of its springs in an insulatingblook,the ,blocks super.- Aposed with one Ablock"resting onsaid b `"ffii-leansfor securing the blocks to thebody, 1a iixedcontact support secured tosaid' body, and a movable Contact spring operator secured to saidarmature, whereby the spatial relations of the relay parts are xed bytheir attachment to said body.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 14 KnosApr. 11, 1939 Stehlik Ian. 18, 1944 Horrnan Oct. 2, 1945 Price Sept. 14,1948 Hall Ian. 11, 1949 Horlacher Mar. 14, 1950 Deakin Peb. 27, 1951Vincent Juiy 8, 1952 Koehler Nov. 4, 1952 Saunders et al Aug. 4, 1953Merrill et al. Nov. 29, 1955

